Title: Ultracold atoms in unconventional lattices:  geometric frustration, flat bands, and localization 

Abstract: Ultracold atoms in optical lattices are one of the major experimental platforms for quantum simulations and many-body physics. Their versatile nature and high controllability enable the realization of novel quantum phases, the study of phase transitions, and the observation of non-equilibrium dynamics. In the past, most experiments studied these phenomena in the simplest lattice geometries, namely the primitive 1D lattice, the square lattice, and the cubic lattice.

In this talk, we will look at our experimental studies of many-body physics in other interesting 2D lattice geometries. We’ll cover the triangular lattice, where geometric frustration can give rise to chiral superfluids; the Kagome lattice, where it gives rise to a flat band; and localized phases including the Bose glass in optical quasicrystals, which are non-periodic but nonetheless long-range ordered potentials. 

A light lunch will be served in the Bowen Atrium at noon.